This invention relates to steel stud building systems, and, more particularly to brackets for connecting vertical steel wall studs to a building structure in a manner to permit relative vertical movement but prevent relative horizontal movement therebetween.
Many industrial and commercial buildings and an increasing number of residential buildings are being constructed with steel stud wall systems for the various benefits obtained, such as reduced environmental concerns, fire safety and reduced susceptibility from warpage, insects, rust and rot.
In the construction of buildings that may be subject to deflection due to wind or seismic forces, it is preferable to allow a degree of freedom of movement to reduce stress and to prevent fracture of connected parts. Ceilings often must rely directly on a structural frame or on load-bearing walls. Curtain walls, meaning walls such as partition walls which are not intended to support vertical loads, are best designed to not support vertical loads due to deflection of the primary load-bearing support structure of the building. Deflection is due to changes in the live loads.
In addition to the occurrence of wind induced or seismic stress loading of a building structure, building component deflection is caused by changes in live or dead loading of the floor below or the ceiling above the curtain wall. However, typical prior construction systems have been designed so that all parts of a building are connected in a rigid and permanent fashion. When such a building structure is stressed, curtain walls tend to be damaged and the degree of damage sustained by other building parts is also increased.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for connecting a curtain wall to the primary structure so as to allow relative vertical movement therebetween while restricting relative horizontal movement.
Additional objects, advantages and other novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention as described and claimed herein.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an improved bracket for connecting a pair of substantially perpendicular building components is provided. The bracket of the present invention advantageously allows relative vertical movement between the perpendicular building components. Preferably, the bracket includes a first connector plate joined at an edge and aligned with a second connector plate in substantially a right angle to form a right angled juncture.
A number of substantially triangular stiffener channels are disposed in the right angled juncture each having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Additionally, a number of substantially linear stiffener channels are provided in the first connector plate that preferably each extend from a corresponding triangular stiffener channel.
The second plate includes a number of elongated slots through which the plate may be connected with a shoulder screw or the like to a building component. The slot allows for vertical movement of the building structure without transferring compressive loads to the building component connected to the second plate, such as an exterior curtain wall. The first plate may be connected to structural framing of the building. When the structural framing of the building flexes downward, the bracket of the present invention allows for relative vertical movement thus relieving stresses and eliminating and resisting horizontal forces caused by wind or seismic loads.